akouo denotes receiving spoken words, voices, sounds, or reports, sometimes with attentive response to what is said.

The verb most often marks reception of a voice, spoken words, or other audible communication. It also occurs for learning information by report and, in commands or responses to a message, for listening in a way that attends to what has been said.

1. Perceiving voices, words, or sounds · dominant

   Aorist active forms describe direct reception of audible speech: in Acts 11:7 the APB renders a voice speaking to Peter, and in Acts 22:9 those with him did not receive the voice addressed to him. The same use includes the heavenly voice in 2 Peter 1:18, declarations in 2 Corinthians 12:4, and the Corinthians' hearing before believing in Acts 18:8.

   Acts 11:7Acts 22:92 Peter 1:182 Corinthians 12:4Acts 10:46Acts 18:8
2. Learning news or a report · common

   The verb can introduce information received about a situation rather than a quoted voice. In 1 Corinthians 11:18 the APB renders Paul receiving news of divisions, while in 2 Thessalonians 3:11 it presents news about some living idly; Acts 11:1 likewise concerns news that Gentiles had received God's word.

   1 Corinthians 11:182 Thessalonians 3:11Acts 11:1Acts 21:22Acts 7:121 Corinthians 5:1
3. Listening attentively to a message · occasional

   In Acts 3:22 the future middle form occurs in the instruction to listen to the prophet in everything he says, and Acts 3:23 states the consequence for anyone who does not do so. In Acts 16:14, an imperfect active form accompanies Lydia's attention to Paul's speech, while Acts 4:4 links those who received the word with trust.

   Acts 3:22Acts 3:23Acts 16:14Acts 4:4Acts 13:162 Timothy 1:13

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the verb with forms of “hear” or “heard,” including reports and spoken voices; it also uses “listen” and “listening” where the clause emphasizes attention to a speaker. These are verse-level renderings rather than definitions.